Mohill student wins international Bright Future prize

A 16-year-old girl from Leitrim has won a prestigious international prize thanks to her innovative work to find a sustainable solution to create wind turbine blades. 

Sara O’Beirne, a pupil in Mohill Community College, was awarded £10,000 funding by the Ardonagh Community Trust (ACT), Bright Future Prize 2022, which attracted entries from all over the world.   

Now in its second year, The Bright Future Prize aims to empower young people aged 13-19 to become the next generation of community leaders by funding their bright ideas that will make a difference to their chosen cause.  

This year, £40,000 was awarded to winners over four categories, each connected to a different way young people can help spark a positive change in the world around them.  

Sara’s bright idea, which won the Your Planet category, started as a desire to find a more environmentally friendly way to generate wind power. Traditional fibre glass wind turbine blades are expensive and can’t be recycled – in fact, a massive 43 million tons of fibre glass will enter landfill by 2050. To tackle this, Sara designed an eco-turbine blade made from wood, which she’s been testing and refining for over a year.   

Sara’s design is ready to move from the 3-D modelling software to the machine, and she plans to purchase a computerised manufacturing machine to begin producing her blades to create self-build kits.  

Initially Sara will sell her blades locally, but ultimately, she wants to take them across the world, particularly to countries in Africa where affordable, renewable and reliable energy is so important to establish.   

Sara said: “When I found out I was a winner, I couldn’t believe it at first. I was absolutely blown away.  

“It has been so helpful to have the love and support from my family, friends and my school, as well as the Ardonagh Community Trust.  

“This project would simply not happen otherwise. As a good friend of mine once said, “If you want to go fast, go on your own. If you want to go far, go as a team.”    

“I honestly thought my wind turbine project would never get off the ground, but this incredible prize has given my ideas wings. I cannot wait to continue with my wind turbine project.  

“I really want to thank the Ardonagh Community Trust for seeing the potential in my project.”  

ACT Trustee and former Irish and British Lions Rugby Captain, Rory Best said: “It’s been a huge honour to select the winners of this year’s Bright Future Prize.   

“All of the finalists had incredible ideas –and I was impressed by their drive to use their own experiences and passion to give back to others and make a difference.   

“I’m sure all our finalists will inspire many more young people to get involved in the communities that matter to them. Myself, and the rest of ACT’s Trustees can’t wait to see how our winners use the funding to make their ideas happen!”